Green Cleaning Ingredients You Should Never Mix

Cleaning supplies made from from all-natural green cleaning ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, Castile soap and hydrogen peroxide are amazing! In the correct combinations these green cleaning ingredients can leave your whole house sparkling (for only a few cents) while eliminating the need for toxic household chemicals.

Unfortunately…

Many natural DIY cleaner recipes found online combine ingredients that should NEVER be combined.

Some of the combinations simply neutralize one another, killing their cleaning power and wasting your money… while other combinations can produce dangerous reaction that can damage your lungs or home surfaces.

Ineffective Green Cleaning Ingredients

There are three green cleaning ingredient combinations that should NEVER be used in one DIY cleaning recipe. Learn about these ineffective combinations:

1. Hydrogen Peroxide + Vinegar = Peracetic Acid

Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar are both great natural cleaners and sanitizers, BUT combining them in a container creates a corrosive acid.

The risk: Bodily damage and/or damage to household surfaces. Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide create an acid when combined. Peracetic acid can irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory system and can be corrosive to household surfaces.

How to use them effectively: You can use hydrogen peroxide and vinegar while cleaning, but always think of them as one-two punches…NEVER mix them into a cleaning solution bottle!

When I want to disinfect I simply screw a spray top onto my hydrogen peroxide bottle and another spray top onto my white vinegar bottle. I then spray and wipe with one cleaner and then the other. (This makes a great bathroom disinfecting cleaner when kiddos are sick.)

2. Baking Soda + Vinegar = Water and Sodium Acetate

Baking soda and vinegar are a bubbling combination, BUT those bubbles are not doing any deep cleaning.

The risk: Wasting your money. Baking soda is basic while vinegar is acidic, their reaction produces water and sodium acetate. This is an ineffective homemade cleaning solution of water with a tiny amount of salt in it.

How to use them effectively: Don’t waste your time cleaning with an ineffective cleanser! Instead use baking soda as a scouring agent to clean ovens, sinks, and bathrooms and simply rinse with tap water.

Use the vinegar as a scum busting glass cleaner or as an odor neutralizer. My favorite glass cleaner recipe combines vinegar and vodka to make your glass surfaces sparkle!

3. Castile Soap + Vinegar = Gunk

Castile Soap and vinegar are versatile green ingredients with many uses, BUT combined in one cleaner they actually make your home dirtier.

The risk: Wasting money and time. Castile soap is basic while vinegar is acidic. When you combine the two you get a reaction that breaks down or unsaponifies the Castile soap, tuning it back out to its original oils. The mixture looks like a white, curdled gunk.

Instead of getting a great cleaner you are spreading ineffective gunk all over. Castile soap is expensive, don’t waste it!

How to use them effectively: Do not combine Castile soap with acids (including lemon juice and vinegar). Instead, use the soap first and use vinegar as a rinse agent in your washing machine, dishwasher, or cleaning rinse water.

Get More “Dirt” on Green Cleaning Ingredients

Some green cleaning recipes combine hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. This combination should never be stored in a closed container because it can explode, leak, or spray all over when opened. Learn why in Natural All Purpose Cleaner.

The next time you find a new DIY cleaner that you're not sure about stop by the Bren Did Facebook page and ask, I love trying new green cleaners!

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Thanks for sharing this information! We are trying to be greener in our life and knowing what items shouldn’t be mixed is good. Thanks for linking up at the Bloggers Brags party, I pinned your post to our group board.

Thanks for commenting Elaine. I’m not a plumber so I can’t claim much knowledge about drain pipe cleaning. However, this plumbing site says that baking soda and vinegar doesn’t work all the well… which is a bummer cause I used to do it all the time!

Crystle, for a natural drain cleaner you can heat 1/2 cup of salt in a gallon of water until just below boiling then pour it down the drain. You can also pour 1 cup on baking soda down the drain with 1/2 cup of salt and follow it with nearly boiling water.

I’ve done it a few times for a clogged drain and it actually works amazingly and better than Drano! I also mix the two together for a deep cleaning solution for my tub and it’s the best deep cleaner that I found. It really takes away every single speck of dirt and scum and also leave my tub with an amazing shine for weeks! So I don’t understand why this article is saying that they cancel each other out because they actually were amazing together.

I used baking soda and vinegar cleaner myself then I found out that science proves them ineffective. Acetic acid (vinegar) reacts with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to form carbonic acid. It’s a double replacement reaction that results in carbon dioxide and water. The bubbles are the carbon dioxide escaping which leaves water with a bit of sodium acetate. So when baking soda and vinegar are combined to make a cleaner you are actually cleaning with water and a tiny amount of salt. If you add only a small amount vinegar you will still have some unneutralized baking soda or if you only add a small amount of baking soda you will still have some unneutralized vinegar… OR just use them separately and don’t neutralize anything. My favorite tub and shower cleaners use either baking soda (Natural All Purpose Cleanser) or vinegar (Non-Toxic No Scrub Shower Cleaner) but not both together.

We actually have a plumber in the family. He has always recommended heating vinegar and mixing with baking soda for clearing out the pipes. It’s always worked for us. I’m not sure about the science of vinegar and baking soda cancel each other out. I have white countertops that tend to stain if red wine or other things like it aren’t wiped up right away. The only thing (without using a harsh abrasive) that works is putting some baking soda on the stain and then activating with a little vinegar.

This list is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I just started making my own cleaners and I was worried I might accidentally mix something that shouldn’t be mixed! Do you have any recipes for kitchen counter cleaner? I put vinegar and water in a spray bottle but my fiance doesn’t like the smell.

I’m happy the list is helpful to you, Stacey! Have you seen my Room Refresher Spray? It makes great counter cleaner too just add a bit less of the essential oils. You can also just use vodka and water in a spray bottle or a little Castile soap and water. Hope this helps!

Such an Informative post! Thank you so much for linking up to Merry Monday this week! You are my featured pic of the week! I am sharing your post today on my blog & social media! We hope to see you next week for another great party! Have a great week! Best, Kim

Lemon also has an acid, citric acid. I understand that baking soda and acids do go through a chemical process that does produce salt and water AND carbon dioxide, I believe that the bubbling action helps the cleaning. Even coca cola supposedly cleans toilet bowl rings from its acid and effervescence (so I hear). In the name of science (and Penny pinching) I will try cleaning with one and not the other, but I gotta admit I’m staying skeptical 😉 That being said, thank you for the tip about hydrogen peroxide and vinegar! I am new to the green cleaning stuff, I appreciate the warning! I’m sure most people think “chemical free” means danger free, but of course even “natural” cleansers are still technically chemicals, and should be treated as such! 😀

Hello, I was surprised to see that the Vinegar and baking soda made your list. I have been mixing these two for years with AMAZING cleaning results. Just recently spilled coffee on a cream colored carpet. I sponged up as much as I could then sprayed the stain wet with vinegar and poured a substantial amount of baking soda on top…the fizz pulled up the rest of the coffee stain. When the baking soda was dry, I vacuumed…..no stain. Love these two together.

Lyla, vinegar is a great stain remover! It works on lots of stains. As far as the baking soda goes, you may be using enough that the baking soda paste helps with the stain removal or the water produced in the reaction helps with the cleaning. Mixing baking soda and vinegar is a popular debate. You can read more in the comments section of this post.

I was making the mistake with castille soap and vinegar. I have also mixed Dawn and vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner. I thought that mix was working well. Is it also a bad combination like with the castille soap?

Actually, the baking soda and vinegar combo is very effective in breaking up food burned on stainless steel pans if you don’t have time for the boil water and scrape method. Sprinkle baking soda, add vinegar until no more fizzing. Then it should wipe off with minimal scrubbing. If it’s still stubborn, scour with more baking soda-NEVER salt on stainless steel! It will pit the surface.

Thank you for this post! The baking soda and vinegar combo drives me absolutely nuts. It’s everywhere and constantly recommended as a fabulous cleaner and I keep saying to myself, “But you’re just cleaning with water!” whenever I see another post recommending it. It’s my pet peeve so I’m so glad you took the time to post about how useless it is!

Thank you for commenting! People do love their vinegar and baking soda. I admit I used to use it too, now that I’ve educated myself on the science I stick to using the reaction to thrill my kids… Like mentos and soda!

1) Is a combination of Vinegar and water okay for a mulit purpose spray? 2) My husband applies baking soda to clean his scalp. Then rises it with white vinegar – the no poo method. He started on this a few years ago to address dandruff and hair fall and it seems to have worked? based on your post, should he be using just or the other to save $$

Yogitha, yes you can use water and vinegar in a multi purpose spray just be careful using it on wood or natural stone. The acid in the vinegar can harm natural materials. If there’s a doubt I use vodka cleaner.

2) It sounds like your husband is using vinegar as a rinse aid which is the correct way to use it with baking soda. The problem happens when you mix the two together and neutralize them before you start cleaning.

I make VAP… 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 alcohol, 1/8 hydrogen peroxide. We made it up a few years ago after discussing it and synthetic cleaners with our veterinarian after adopting a sick kitten. We have used it daily for the past 3 years to clean everything from countertops, floors, desks, painted wood surfaces, plastics, etc. I waited and still wait to see if it is going to damage or fad any of our surfaces and it hasn’t. Having a science degree and a background in chemistry, I knew that mixing peroxide and vinegar is a “no no”. However, it’s all about the amounts you are mixing. ?

I’m glad to hear you have had no damage from the cleaner. I assume you are using it for a disinfecting spray? Science News suggests that using them as a 1-2 punch, first one spray and then the other is more effective. You can read more here. Even in small amounts of solution peracetic acid is formed, it just might not harm your surfaces if quickly wiped away. Be careful not to inhale the fumes!

I disagree with your comment on vinegar and baking soda. I had a cleaning business for 30 years and used vinegar and baking soda successfully. Granted I did not mix them in a container, but would spray with vinegar and sprinkle some baking powder and rub. While vinegar would clean on its own, the sprinkle of baking soda would give it a safe but slightly abrasive texture for the extra touch spots such as porcelain sinks with stains. I would pour vinegar and then baking soda down a clogged drain and the acidic bubbling action would go to work. After 15 minutes I would flush with cool water and the drain would rinse clean. A really bad clog I might let sit a little longer.

Baking soda and vinegar is a hot debate! I bet that spraying vinegar then sprinkling baking soda leaves enough non-reactive baking soda to be a great scouring powder. As faras plumbing, I’m not a plumber so I can’t claim technical knowledge on drain pipe cleaning. However, this plumber says that baking soda and vinegar doesn’t work well… which is a bummer cause I used to do it all the time!

You are correct, Carol lots of people use it… but unfortunately the science shows that they are simply pouring water and a bit of salt down the drain. Most baking soda/vinegar cleaning suggestions mention following the mixture with boiling water. I think that perhaps the boiling water is what melts fat/grease and cleans the drain more than the baking soda/vinegar. I used to use the baking soda/vinegar method too, but after reading about the chemical reaction I now use salt and boiling water.

Bren — I’m a brand new fan of your website! It’s fabulous! I’m so happy to learn this (new to me) information about no-no combos. I haven’t explored every corner of your site yet, so please forgive me if I’m being redundant with my question.

Okay, so armed with this knowledge regarding the ineffectiveness of the vinegar/baking soda combo, what environmentally/health-responsible method would you suggest for clogged/slow drains. Or maybe you know of a sort of maintenance formula to use that helps prevent clogging.

Thanks for all this wonderful information. And, I’m glad to see so much community involvement…it’s promising to know that more and more people are going GREEN! Yay!!!!

Good question, Katie (and thank you for your lovely comments)! I try to keep as much grease/fat out of my drains as possible (put it in the trash instead) after seeing how fat clogs sewers. To clean/freshen drains I sprinkle 1 cup of kosher salt and/or 1 cup of baking soda directly down the drain followed by a gallon or so of boiling water. The salt’s abrasive texture can help to dislodge gunk, and the baking soda can help dissolve some grime.

Oh my gosh, I just cleaned pretty much my entire house (at least the walls) with a castile/vinegar/water mix. I’m laughing at myself so much! (The walls do look a lot better, though I think they might’ve done if I’d just used plain water, even.) Good lord. 🙂

Peracetic acid is actually used by the health care industry and water treatment facilities because it is an amazing disinfectant. I’ve been using it for years with no ill effects, but I do dilute it. Full strength, it gives an amazing patina on metals, if you’re into jewelry making.

Margaret, you are correct, peracetic acid is used as a disinfectant however the CDC recommends that ventilation systems, protective eye wear, aprons and protective gloves be used when it is present. Since most people do not generally clean in this type of protective clothing I do not advise its use. 🙂 I also have some concerns about creating resistant bacteria though repeated use/exposure in the home when other milder cleaners will do. Love the interesting fact about its use in metal work!

Interesting question, Felicia! It all has to do with the combination of acids and bases. pH measures how acidic or basic substances are on a scale from 0 to 14: a pH less than 7 is acidic and a pH greater than 7 is basic. Castille soap is a base with a pH around 8.9. Vinegar is an acid with a pH of about 2.4. Combining these two creates a reaction that cancels each other out and unsaponifies the soap. Rubbing alcohol has a pH of 5.5 so it is a weaker acid than vinegar, but it will react with the base (Castille soap) though maybe not to the same degree as vinegar. I don’t have any rubbing alcohol in the house of I would try out the reaction. You can test it by stirring together a teaspoon of Castille soap with some rubbing alcohol. I tried Castille and vodka (pH 6-7, nearly neutral) which doesn’t produce a visible reaction (as in the pictures above). I personally avoid using the rubbing alcohol (it can contain methyl isobutyl ketone, acetone, artificial fragrance, and artificial color).

Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are only effective as sanitizers when they are heated to 135 degrees and left to sir on the surface for a minimum of 10 minutes. Neither of them is effective against norovirus which is a highly contagious stomachs bug that is easily spread up to 25 feet from particles released into the air during vomiting or diarrea episodes. The only thing that sanitizes that pathogen is bleach.

Vinegar can sanitize, just not as completely as commercial cleansers. If you have an immune compromised family member it may be worth using bleach, otherwise scrubbing and a mild cleaner is generally sufficient for home care. You can read more here.

Sarah, it is okay to mix vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and Dawn soap. Dawn is a synthetic detergent so it does not react to vinegar the same way that Castile soap does. If you are looking for green cleaners you may want to avoid the rubbing alcohol and Dawn. I do not generally use rubbing alcohol in my home as it contains synthetic fragrance which can be made with cancer causing chemicals. You can read more about rubbing alcohol’s ratings here. I also do not use Dawn, you can read Dawn’s ratings here. I prefer to use a cleaner such as Sal’s Suds which rates well and does an excellent job cleaning the whole house.

just because of this post I put your blog in my feedly list. I’m sick of soooo many recipes calling for vinegar+baking soda combo. At last someone who knows elementary basics of chemistry. For sure, I’ll be experimenting with your recipes. Just keep up the good work :))) N.B. Sorry for bad English. it’s not my mother language.

Valerie, liquid dish soap is a detergent which is made from synthetic products. This means it does not react or break down when combined with vinegar. I would check any dish soapd you use on the EWG’s guide. I prefer to use dish detergents which rate well.

I would add a caveat to the baking soda and vinegar bit. I have had success using the chemical reaction between them as a carpet stain remover. You can’t mix them ahead of time, though, or you get exactly what you said!

Sharyn, it is my understanding that hydrogen peroxide (H202) + baking soda (NaHCO3) produces sodium bisulfate (NaHCO4) and water (H2O). Sodium bisulfate is used in household cleaners. The solution will be very weak because the hydrogen peroxide bought in the store is a 3% solution. I have heard that hydrogen peroxide is used in rocket power, but I doubt it is a 3% solution.

Sara, I’m sorry to say that you would be better off using the Castille soap and baking soda and then saving the vinegar and or lemon juice for the rinse. Have you seen my homemade laundry detergent recipe? It uses Castille soap and baking soda too!

A combination of baking soda and vinegar is very effective to break up gunk in pipes and loosen dirt stains from fabric/carpet and other surfaces with it’s foaming action. I’ve used it successfully numerous times.

It may work Kay, but you should be aware that you are creating peracetic acid which should not be inhaled the same way bleach and ammonia fumes should not be inhaled. It can also be corrosive. A combination can work but still not be safe or green.

Thank you for this. Looking through a lot of recipes, I see ingredients that don’t seem like a good idea to mix. For example, baking soda and vinegar is what you use to make a science fair volacano! I saw a cleaning spray recipe that used hydrogen peroxide and castile soap. Do you know if this is a bad combination too? Thanks!

Thanks Terri! I agree with you, there are quite a few cleaning recipes out there that mix ingredients that are not too effective! Hydrogen peroxide and castile soap are okay to mix, but I don’t usually mix them and store them. What are you cleaning? My Natural All Purpose Cleanser mixes castile soap and baking soda then gives it a boost (if desired) by spraying on hydrogen peroxide. I don’t mix them and store them because the hydrogen peroxide will react with baking soda neutralizing the cleaning power and releasing carbon dioxide. (This gas will make the bottle of cleaner explode, leak, or spray all over when opened.) Hope this helps!

Yes, thank you! The recipe I found had vinegar, castile soap, baking soda, peroxide and water. The author then revised the recipe to exclude the vinegar because of the reaction with the soap. I was still wondering if the soap would react to the peroxide. I guess I should’ve been more worried about the baking soda…yikes! Thanks for the warning! 🙂

To clean carpets I vacuum with my Carpet and Room Deodorizing Powder then use 1 or 2 tsp of liquid castile soap in the washing compartment (fill the rest with water) of my capet cleaner and rinse with water plus 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar (I combine this in the rinse compartment). This combination is green and cleans great!

The best green carpet cleaner is warm water and powdered OxiClean. Vinegar will break down the rubber seals of a carpet cleaner over time, and castile soap will leave a residue on the carpet. Oxiclean is a stabilized peroxide salt, or in other words, a combination of washing soda (sodium carbonate) and peroxide (H2O2). Because it is basic, it acts as a detergent. Happy carpet cleaning! – chemist

I am changing up the way I clean! I used to always use baking soda and vinegar! One tip you gals may not know is never mix dish detergent and bleach! It’s extremely toxic to the lungs! I learned that on the job as a candy maker. Thanks for your site! God bless you!

I love your site! Thanks for posting this information. I, like you, have been using the baking soda/vinegar combination for years, and I also recently read that they are basically ineffective when used together. One of the best ways I had found to use them together is as an oven cleaner. Basically, you sprinkle baking soda all over the bottom of the oven wherever there is burnt-on grease. Then you spray the baking soda liberally (saturate it) with white vinegar. Wait one hour and then just wipe the burnt-on grease away with paper towels followed by a rinse with wet paper towels. It comes right off. Since together the baking soda/vinegar combo are ineffective, I wonder which one (the vinegar or the baking soda) is the cleaner that really makes cleaning the oven work? I’m guessing the vinegar?

Thanks for commenting, Sonia! I think it is the baking soda that is helping the most. Baking soda has the ability to absorb grease and its alkaline pH also helps remove stains caused by oil and grease. I have seen directions for oven cleaning that involve sprinkling baking soda over the bottom of the oven then spraying the baking soda with WATER, waiting a few hours then wiping the grime away. You could try this easy experiment to see which works better: sprinkle baking soda on one side of the oven (wet it with water) and place vinegar soaked paper towels on the other side of the oven (not touching the baking soda). Whichever side get more clean is your winner! Maybe I’ll try it after Thanksgiving, I’m sure to have a dirty oven! Let me know if you experiment and what works. -Bren

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for this informative site! I was wondering what your thoughts were on combining baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. It this an effective cleaning agent. I am new to the world of homemade cleansers so forgive my ignorance or if I am repeating a question that has already been asked, I tried to scroll through the comments to see if that had been asked, but didn’t see it. I have tried to google it for more info, but come up short. Side note: I am definitely going to try your natural all purpose cleaner on my bathroom.

I also have a side question: What do you use to clean your cooling rack and sheet pans? I made meatloaf hamburgers that required the use a cooling rack which also meant tons of gunk afterwards. I let the rack soak in dawn(that’s all I have soap wise currently) and water over night. When I woke up the next morning the gunk came off, but was replaced by rust! I got out a brillo pad and scrubbed. I got most of it off, but the crevices still have rust. Would CLR be safe to use on chrome plated steel wire racks? I checked their website and they say its safe to use on chrome or stainless steel, but feel uncomfortable using it on something I cook with. Any suggestions? I also tried this method: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/make-old-cookie-sheets-look-like-new-again, using hydrogen peroxide and baking soda on my cookie sheets and it did not work for me. I also think the brillo pad with oxi clean pitted my half sheet pans,…well at least something did. Is this normal for sheet pans overtime to have pitting? They are at least 7 years old.

Thanks again for all your help and answering my many questions! lol! ~JJ

Hi Jessica, I;m so glad you like the site. I’ll do my best to answer your questions. I do mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to clean stains in my all-purpose cleaner but you should not store the mix in a closed container (read more in the all purpose cleaner post). I use CLR on rust as long as it is well washed afterward. I use it to clean my dishwasher. I use detergent with baking soda and/or salt to scrub greasy pans, I think it always takes some elbow grease and there are no quick solutions. I am not sure about sheet pans and pitting, I guess it depends on the material. Hope this helps! -Bren

Thank you!! I enjoy all these cleaning tips that are all over Internet, but everytime I came across “mix baking soda and vinegar” I felt like the entire post was discredited just by stating that ignorant “tip”. People need to be better informed through posts like yours because sometimes it’s not just salt water they are making… Chemistry is dangerous!

I’m not sure, Sandra. Rubbing alcohol contains isopropyl alcohol plus water, denaturants, and artificial fragrance so you have to figure out the reaction for each of these ingredients. I generally use vodka in place of rubbing alcohol which is only ethanol and water. Pure ethanol and acetic acid (vinegar) would make ethyl acetate.

I keep coming across the posts about dish detergent and peroxide, saying it’s a miracle soap scup remover but it didn’t work for me, I don’t know why. What is the best thing to mix with peroxide for cleaning and what about all those that say to use it on cuts on skin or on pets. I know your not a doc. but maybe you have insights on why it shouldn’t be used in skin.

Thanks, Amelia. I love to mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda and dish detergent as an all purpose household scrub (read more here ). I also use it to clean grout. Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing agent which is why it cleans well (it kills bacteria and can break up stains) however this same oxidizing can damage skin making cuts take longer to heal. You can read more here.

What is everyone’s problem with borax? Its not toxic like pharmaceutical companies have paid governments to tell us. It’s an extremely wonderful cleaner, fungicide, and applied lightly to the garden, a great fertilizer. At 30mg qid po for 3 weeks, it alleviates some types of arthritis pain. I have a link pinned with more information.

Tabitha, Borax use is somewhat controversial in green circles; it is a naturally occurring mineral, but it can also be dangerous. You can read more about the controversy at MNN. I prefer not to use it in my powdered detergent as it can be dangerous when inhaled but I do use it to kill ants when needed. I think everyone should decide what they feel safe using in their own home. Thanks for stopping by the blog!

Thank you so much for this post! I have thought about it many times when I was cleaning or doing laundry. I use vinegar quite a bit, and I use peroxide too. Once I read this post, I was more careful not to mix the two!